AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso has said that midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko was upset by comments the Italian had made after his side's 3-2 defeat against Napoli in Serie A, as he attempted to clairfy his criticism of him.
After an impressive stint playing for Monaco, the Frenchman joined I Rossoneri on loan with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the season.
Gattuso - who made 387 appearances for Milan in his playing career - appeared to single out Bakayoko and insisted that the midfielder has a lot of work to do if he wants to settle in to his new club and life in Italy.
The 24-year-old made his debut in Milan's defeat at the Stadio San Paolo in their opening Serie A game of the season, where Bakayoko featured as a substitute and failed to make an impact.
Quoted by Football365 after his pre-match press conference for their Serie A tie against Roma on Friday, Gattuso wanted to put to bed the apparent feud that had come to light after the Italian's recent comments.
“Some people misunderstood what I said about Bakayoko. I noticed he was upset when I saw him in training after the last match.
“I didn’t blame him. I never point at my players. I meant that it’s not easy to play in a new league and get used to new working methods. He needs time, that’s all. Bakayoko and this team have already improved a lot and I’m happy.”
Milan will travel to the Sardegna Arena where they face Cagliari on Sunday in Serie A.